THE Archbishop of Canterbury is to hold a summit meeting to discuss the controversial issue of gay priests, it was announced yesterday.

THE Archbishop of Canterbury is to hold a summit meeting to discuss the controversial issue of gay priests, it was announced yesterday.

But those both for and against allowing gays into the clergy immediately reacted by dismissing the initiative from Dr Rowan Williams.

The move follows bitter splits in the church in the UK and the US over the appointment of gay clergymen.

Dr Rowan Williams has now summoned the top 38 leading bishops, or primates, from across the world for a meeting in London in October.

He confirmed he called the conference after the election this week of the Anglican church's first gay bishop in the US.

"I am clear the anxieties caused by recent developments have reached the point where we will need to sit down and discuss their consequences," Dr Williams said.

"I hope that in our deliberations we will find that there are ways forward in this situation which can preserve our respect for one another and for the bonds that unite us.

"I hope we can use the time between now and then to reflect, to pray, to consult and to take counsel."

A row erupted in the UK in June after gay priest Canon Jeffrey John was nominated to become the new Bishop of Reading. After weeks of bitter argument within the Anglican Church, he decided not to take up the post.

But controversy raged again on both sides of the Atlantic after gay cleric Canon Gene Robinson was elected this week to become the next Bishop of New Hampshire.